Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Key molecule discovered in Venus's atmosphere

Key molecule discovered in Venus's atmosphere

May 16, 2008

Venus Express has detected the molecule hydroxyl on another planet for the first time. This detection gives scientists an important new tool to unlock the workings of Venus's dense atmosphere.

Hydroxyl, an important but difficult-to-detect molecule, is made up of a hydrogen and oxygen atom each. It has been found in the upper reaches of the Venusian atmosphere, some 100 km above the surface, by Venus Express's Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer, VIRTIS.

The elusive molecule was detected by turning the spacecraft away from the planet and looking along the faintly visible layer of atmosphere surrounding the planet's disc. The instrument detected the hydroxyl molecules by measuring the amount of infrared light that they give off.




The band of atmosphere in which the glowing hydroxyl molecules are located is very narrow; it is only about 10 km wide. By looking at the limb of the planet, Venus Express looked along this faint atmospheric layer, increasing the signal strength by about 50.

Hydroxyl is thought to be important for any planet's atmosphere because it is highly reactive. On Earth it has a key role in purging pollutants from the atmosphere and is thought to help stabilise the carbon dioxide in the martian atmosphere, preventing it from converting to carbon monoxide. On Mars it is also thought to play a vital role in sterilising the soil, making the top layers hostile to microbial life.

The reactive molecule has been seen around comets, but the method of production there is thought to be completely different from the way it forms in planetary atmospheres.

"Because the venusian atmosphere had not been studied extensively before Venus Express arrived on the scene, we have not been able to confirm much of what our models tell us by observing what is actually happening. This detection will help us refine our models and learn much more," says one of the Principal Investigators of the VIRTIS experiment, Giuseppe Piccioni, from the Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica in Rome, Italy.

On Earth, the glow of hydroxyl in the atmosphere has been shown to be closely linked to the abundance of ozone. From this study, the same is thought to be true at Venus. Now, scientists can set about estimating the amount of ozone in the planet's atmosphere.

Venus Express has shown that the amount of hydroxyl at Venus is highly variable. It can change by 50% from one orbit to the next and this may be caused by differing amounts of ozone in the atmosphere.

"Ozone is an important molecule for any atmosphere, because it is a strong absorber of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun," says Piccioni. The amount of the radiation absorbed is a key parameter driving the heating and dynamics of a planet's atmosphere. On Earth, it heats the stratosphere (layer of the atmosphere) making it stable and protecting the biosphere from harmful ultraviolet rays.

Computer models will now be able to tell how this jump and drop in ozone levels over short intervals affects the restless atmosphere of that world.

"Venus Express has already shown us that Venus is much more Earth-like than once thought. The detection of hydroxyl brings it a step closer," says Piccioni.

He and his colleagues are only reporting the initial detection from a few orbits in their latest paper. They are working on the analysis of data from about 50 other orbits and more observations will follow.

European Space Agency



Related Venus Current Events and Venus News Articles Venus Current Events and Venus News RSS Venus Current Events and Venus News RSS
NAE announces award winners John Casani and Sheila Widnall
During its 2009 annual meeting, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) will present two awards for extraordinary impacts on the engineering profession.

Superheavy Element 114 Confirmed: A Stepping Stone to the Island of Stability
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have been able to confirm the production of the superheavy element 114, ten years after a group in Russia, at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, first claimed to have made it.

First solid evidence for a rocky exoplanet
The longest set of HARPS measurements ever made has firmly established the nature of the smallest and fastest-orbiting exoplanet known, CoRoT-7b, revealing its mass as five times that of Earth's.

For carnivorous plants, slow but steady wins the race
Like the man-eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors, carnivorous plants rely on animal prey for sustenance. Fortunately for humans, carnivorous plants found in nature are not dependent on a diet of human blood but rather are satisfied with the occasional fly or other insect.

University of Hawai'i at Manoa team unravels the chemistry of Titan's hazy atmosphere
A team of University of Hawai'i at Mānoa researchers led by Ralf Kaiser, physical chemist at UH Mānoa, unraveled the chemical evolution of the orange-brownish colored atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan, the only solar system body besides Venus and Earth with a solid surface and thick atmosphere.

Unveiling the true face of a gigantic star
An international team of astronomers, led by Keiichi Ohnaka at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn, has made the most high resolution images of a dying giant star to date.

Sharpest views of Betelgeuse reveal how supergiant stars lose mass
Using different state-of-the-art techniques on ESO's Very Large Telescope, two independent teams of astronomers have obtained the sharpest ever views of the supergiant star Betelgeuse.

New map hints at Venus's wet, volcanic past
Venus Express has charted the first map of Venus's southern hemisphere at infrared wavelengths. The new map hints that our neighbouring world may once have been more Earth-like, with both, a plate tectonics system and an ocean of water.

Galileo's notebooks may reveal secrets of new planet
Galileo knew he had discovered a new planet in 1613, 234 years before its official discovery date, according to a new theory by a University of Melbourne physicist.

Magnetic Tornadoes Could Liberate Mercury's Tenuous Atmosphere
As the closest planet to the sun, Mercury is scorching hot, with daytime temperatures of more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 450 degrees Celsius).
More Venus Current Events and Venus News Articles
Gillette Venus Shaving Cartridges for Women, 8-Count Package

Gillette Venus Shaving Cartridges for Women, 8-Count Package
by Gillette

Venus Shaving Cartridges for Women feature three blades surrounded by soft cushions, resulting in fewer missed hairs and a more comfortable shave. The pivoting rounded head hugs your curves and fits easily into hard-to-shave areas. The indicator strip contains skin-soothing aloe and Vitamin E, and the blue stripe fades away when it's time to change blades. Each cartridge is individually sealed in waterproof packaging, making it easy to store in the shower.

The Birth of Venus: A Novel

The Birth of Venus: A Novel
by Sarah Dunant (Author)

Alessandra Cecchi is not quite fifteen when her father, a prosperous cloth merchant, brings a young painter back from northern Europe to decorate the chapel walls in the family’s Florentine palazzo. A child of the Renaissance, with a precocious mind and a talent for drawing, Alessandra is intoxicated by the painter’s abilities.

But their burgeoning relationship is interrupted when Alessandra’s parents arrange her marriage to a wealthy, much older man. Meanwhile, Florence is changing, increasingly subject to the growing suppression imposed by the fundamentalist monk Savonarola, who is seizing religious and political control. Alessandra and her native city are caught between the Medici state, with its love of luxury, learning, and dazzling art, and the hellfire preaching and...

Venus

Venus
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Leslie Phillips, Beatrice Savoretti, Philip Fox, Lolita Chakrabarti
Directed By: Roger Michell

Academy Award® nominee Peter O’Toole (2006 Best Actor) leads a powerful cast to deliver a charming and poignant portrayal of Maurice, an aging veteran actor who becomes absolutely taken with Jessie – the grandniece of his closest friend. When Maurice tries to soften the petulant and provincial young girl with the benefit of his wisdom and London culture, their give-and-take surprises both Maurice and Jessie as they discover what they don’t know about themselves. Featuring brilliant performances from a superb supporting cast, VENUS is a witty and wise celebration of how the greatest lessons in life can come from the most unlikely places.

Gillette Venus Breeze 2 in 1 Cartridges Plus Shave Gel Bars for Women, 8 Cartridges

Gillette Venus Breeze 2 in 1 Cartridges Plus Shave Gel Bars for Women, 8 Cartridges
by Gillette

Triple Blades self adjust to level of Skin Conditioning Solid. All Intuition cartridges are interchangeable, but enhanced pivoting works only when Intuition Plus handle is used with Plus cartridge.

Venus

Venus
by Suzan-Lori Parks (Author)



Gillette Venus Embrace Cartridge, 8-Count Package

Gillette Venus Embrace Cartridge, 8-Count Package
by Gillette

Venus Embrace Cartridge 8 count. Venus Embrace hugs your curves to get virtually every hair; for a whole new level of smoothness.

One Touch of Venus

One Touch of Venus
Starring: Ava Gardner, Robert Walker, Mary Benoit, Ralph Brooks, Russ Conway
Also With: Franz Planer (Cinematographer), Kurt Weill (Composer)

A fantasy comedy about a young window dresser (Robert Walker) who kisses a statue of Venus, which then comes to life in the form of Ava Gardner. The problems begin, however, when Venus falls in love with him...

Gillette for Women Venus Divine Cartridges, 8-Count Boxes

Gillette for Women Venus Divine Cartridges, 8-Count Boxes
by Gillette

Intensive Moisture. The closest shave for divinely smooth skin - even in sensitive spots. Three Intensive Moisture strips enriched with Natural Aloe and Botanical Oils. Three Comfort-Coated Blades for a close and comfortable shave. Pivoting Rounded Head h

Venus

Venus
by Bananarama



The Forgery of Venus: A Novel

The Forgery of Venus: A Novel
by Michael Gruber (Author)

An artist born outside his time, Chaz Wilmot can paint like Leonardo, Goya, Gainsborough—and he refuses to shape his talent to fit the fashion of the day. His unique abilities attract the attention of Werner Krebs, an art dealer with a dark past and shadier present, and soon Wilmot is working with a fervor he hasn't felt in years. But his creative burst is accompanied by strange interludes—memories that are not memories . . . and he begins to wonder if he is really the person he believes he is. When a previously unknown masterpiece by the Spanish painter Velázquez is discovered, the artist suddenly finds himself lost in a mirrored house of illusions—and propelled into a secret world of greed, lies . . . and murder.



© 2009 BrightSurf.com